NEED TO KNOW
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On Tuesday, March 10, Rene J. Perez was arrested in Miami in connection to the 2024 murder of Linda Campitelli, his alleged lover
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Authorities say Perez and Campitelli were allegedly in a two-year extramarital affair and planned to meet the night she died
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Perez, who was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, is due back in court on April 9
A man has been arrested in connection to the 2024 murder of his alleged lover.
On Tuesday, March 10, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Rene J. Perez, 38, had been arrested in Miami in relation to the Oct. 28, 2024 murder of 35-year-old Linda Campitelli. In a news release shared on Facebook, authorities said Perez was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail. He was booked on charges of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, authorities responded to multiple calls about an “unknown white female” who was “completely unresponsive” and “lying in the Southbound lanes of Lyons Road” in Lantana, Fla. One caller told police the woman was “bleeding profusely from the mouth” and “lying completely face down.”
Officers were dispatched to the scene between 10:18 p.m. and 10:21 p.m., and Campitelli was pronounced dead at 10:26 p.m.
Linda Campitelli
Credit: Linda Campitelli/Facebook
An examination of the victim showed that she’d suffered multiple wounds and bruises, including some were consistent with being dragged on the road’s surface with force, per the affidavit. An investigation of blood spatters in the car were allegedly “clearly indicative of a struggle or violent episode.” There was also evidence “of someone being severely injured and transported inside” the car.
Her death was ruled a homicide resulting from blunt force trauma to the head and torso by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office, per the affidavit.
Rene J. Perez mugshot
Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
According to the document, first responders were able to identify Campitelli, who was located about 50 feet from a car that was registered to her husband, Jon Campitelli, through her iPhone that was found near her body
Authorities later spoke with Jon in the early hours of the following morning at his home. Jon told detectives that his wife had left home between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and said she was going for dinner with friends. Cell phone records show that he did not leave the house.
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Interviews with two of Linda’s closest friends revealed that she was possibly engaged in an extramarital affair with an individual, who was identified as Perez, per the affidavit. Both Linda and Perez were married to other people.
An examination of Linda’s phone records allegedly showed that Linda and Perez were in frequent contact and had exchanged messages about meeting that evening.
“I LOVE YOU, I FEEL KINDA WEIRD. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT TOMORROW. YOU’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS FOR ME BEFORE AND I FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS,” Linda allegedly wrote to Perez in messages exchanged via WhatsApp on Oct. 27, 2024, the day before her death.
Perez allegedly replied, per the affidavit, “JUST TRYING TO SHOW U THAT I CAN BE ROMANTIC. IT PROBABLY WON’T BE AS GOOD AS WHAT YOUVE DONE FOR ME.”
“SO TOMORROW AT 7:30…AND YOU’RE 100% SURE THIS IS OK?” Linda responded, to which Perez replied, “YES MAAM. U GOT IT. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.”
A photo found on Linda’s phone showed the back of her car with the seats down and a blanket or tablecloth reading “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.” The affidavit noted that Ultrasorbs Medical Sheets were also laid out on top of the cover.
They had been removed from the car before authorities arrived on the scene.
Perez was interviewed by police on Nov. 8, 2024, and told them he and Linda had been having an affair, which he said had been going on for approximately two years. It began, he said, when they were both working at the Wellington Regional Medical Center.
However, he denied meeting with Linda on the night of her death, allegedly saying that he’d contacted her the day before to cancel and she was “extremely upset.”
Linda Campitelli
Credit: Linda Campitelli/Facebook
Authorities were not able to find evidence in text and call records to support the claim. Additional video evidence suggested that Perez “lied” to authorities about the time he left work the night of Linda’s murder, per the affidavit.
A search of Perez’s residence showed that the same brand of medical sheets were in his home. His place business, Delray Medical Center, confirmed to authorities that he had access to the sheets.
Perez had his first court appearance on Wednesday, March 11. He appeared in front of Judge Donald Hafele in the 15th Judicial Circuit Court.
Per records from the hearing, he will return to court on April 9 with an initial case conference schedule for April 30. A bond of $50,000 was ordered. Perez is also unable to contact Linda’s next of kin.
Linda left behind two daughters who were under the age of 10 at the time of her death, according to The Palm Beach Post. She was remembered as being “bold, sassy and fun-loving.”
Read the original article on People
